Methods
by laurah2215
Summary: CJ/Danny. Series:The Unplanned Blessing. Story #7


Title: Methods

Title: Methods  
Series: The Unplanned Blessing  
Author: Laura H  
Rating: Teen to Adult. Disclaimer: We've been doing this long enough  
that you know I'm not making a penny.  
Synopsis: The Concannon's and Lyman's have disagreements about child  
rearing.

Timeline:  
March 2025: Story 1- The Weight of the World; Story 2- Changes;Story  
3-The Wedding;  
May 2025: Story 4-Making Memories  
July 2025: Story 5- Practice Makes Perfect  
August 2025: Story 6- This Isn't the Way It Was Supposed To Happen  
Octover 2025:Story 7:Methods

CJ bolts up straight in the bed at the sound of the knock. She  
used to be able to hear in the night when anyone in the house set  
their feet on the hardwood, but she's older now and the kids are no  
longer getting up in the night with fevers and stomach aches. The last  
two months have changed all that. Her maternal radar has been on  
over-drive. "Come in," she calls drowsily.

Abbey slumps across the room with a screaming baby outstretched in  
her arms. "I can't take it anymore. She won't shut up. We can't get  
her to stop crying." Abbey is shaking and hot tears are rolling down  
her cheeks as she hands the infant to her mother.

"Well maybe if you stopped crying," CJ points out with a raised  
brow as she brings her granddaughter into her chest.

"I can't," Abbey cries even harder, climbing into the bed beside CJ.

Danny finally rouses awake and Noah steps up behind Abbey.

"Shshsh. It's okay. You're okay," CJ coos soothingly.

"No, I'm not," Abbey disagrees.

"I was talking to Jordan," CJ corrects with a smile, shifting the  
baby to one arm and wrapping her right arm around her daughter. "But  
it applies to you, as well."

Abbey curls into the reassuring embrace of her mother. "I thought  
this would be easier, but she does this every night. I haven't slept  
more than three consecutive hours in two months. I think I've actually  
lost critical brain cells."

Danny leans across CJ to rub Abbey's shoulder. "Honey, you did  
this when you were a baby. Babies have fussy times, and they're  
usually in the night. This is Jordan's way of distressing after a long  
day of stimulating new sounds and sights that she's not used to."

"I think we need to just put her in her crib and let her cry it out  
for a bit. The book said she'll be starting to develop sleeping  
patterns in the next couple weeks. She needs to learn how to fall  
asleep when she's not in our arms." Noah sighs, the exhaustion  
settling in. He hasn't slept well the last two months either. He gets  
up each time Abbey needs to nurse the baby.

"That's cruel, Noah! How could you say that? She's just a baby."  
Abbey gasps in horror at her husband's suggestion.

"It's not cruel, honey. It's for her own good, and our sanity."  
Noah has been reading all the baby books and they all tout different  
advice. Some say you can't spoil a baby with too much attention until  
they're six months old. They say you should hold the baby as much as  
possible and always stay close. But others say that infants learn good  
sleeping habits by learning to soothe themselves to sleep without aid  
from the parents. Every piece of advice contradicts another piece of  
advice, and it's leaving Noah and Abbey completely confused.

"You and Pat were awful sleepers when you were babies. We'd be up  
three or four times in the night until you were two years old," Danny  
tells the kids.

"Two years? That's like twenty two months from now. That'd be  
like having these past two months duplicated by twelve. We can't  
handle that." Abbey shakes her head definitively.

"Exactly. We did that for you for two years and Pat even longer  
because he wouldn't sleep by himself until he was over four years-old.  
Almost every night we had to share our bed with at least one of you  
for at least a half an hour a night. Now, we didn't really have a  
choice with Pat because of his Autism, but we could and should have  
taught you better habits when you were a baby." CJ rubs circular  
patterns on Jordan's back and allow the infant to suck on her shoulder.

"But you guys eventually did learn good habits and it only helped  
you feel more secure when we'd rock you to sleep in our arms. Babies  
should always know that you're there with them." While Danny wasn't  
thrilled that he and CJ didn't have a night alone without the kids  
until Pat was four, he doesn't regret codling them or lavishing on  
attention.

"I have no idea what to do. Is it better to keep her close  
or let her cry it out?" Abbey's distress is evident. She's seventeen.  
She should be worrying about her college history mid-term, not  
parenting a two month-old baby. But God and fate or whatever had  
different plans for her and her teenage husband, so instead of staying  
up writing term papers or partying with their friend, she and Noah  
spend every night at home caring for their little bundle of constant,  
needy attention.

"Why don't we try to put her in her crib and see what happens?"  
Noah suggests cautiously.

Breathing out a loud sigh, Abbey shrugs. "Fine. I'm too tired to  
spend another hour trying to get her to sleep."

"Here you go," CJ hands the calm child back to her mother after  
dropping a kiss to Jordan's scalp. "Sweet dreams, my little angel. You  
have a good sleep for Mommy and Daddy."

Abbey accepts a quick hug from CJ and then she and Noah make  
their way back to their bedroom down the hall. After checking quickly  
to ensure that Jordan hasn't wet her fresh diaper and swaddling her in  
a receiving blanket, Abbey settles her on her side in the wooden crib  
next to their bed. Noah turns on the mobile over the wooden crib Danny  
and Noah had helped build and allows soft music to fill the room with  
calming sounds. The new parents climb into their bed and try to ignore  
the cries echoing across the room now that Jordan has discovered that  
nobody is holding her. They lay awake blinking and attempting to  
ignore their daughter's cries for attention.

"I can't do this," Abbey declares, sitting up and tossing the  
blankets aside, her heart breaking at the thought of her struggling child.

"Abbey," Noah exhales deeply, laying a hand to her shoulder. "We  
can't keep giving in every time she cries. My mom said we've got to  
develop thicker skin and let her cry because we know in the long run  
it'll be better for her. She can't learn to play us all the time."

"But how can you lie there and fall asleep when she's so upset?"  
Abbey's tears have decided to reappear, her hormones causing an  
avalanche of conflicting emotions.

"Because I know that it's the right thing for my daughter, and  
because Im utterly exhausted." Noah tends to agree with his parents  
and the books that tell him that a little delayed gratification is  
better than giving in during the moment and spoiling his baby.

·

"Is she sleeping any better?" Donna asks carefully, seeing the  
pained expressions on her son's face and a similar one on her  
daughter-in-law. Donna takes a tiny sip from her wine glass.

Abbey lifts her head up and swallows her sip of lemonade, her  
gaze cast low. "She had a good night last night."

CJ places a bowl of hummus on the counter in the kitchen where  
she, Danny, Josh, Donna, Abbey and Noah are enjoying an appetizer  
before dinner. She and Josh are standing around the island counter,  
Danny and Donna are perched on stools and Abbey and Noah are sitting  
at the small kitchen table. What started out as a nice evening has  
grown tense because Jordan has been crying for twenty minutes since  
Noah carried her upstairs and laid her in her crib for her late  
afternoon nap.

"We're trying to let her soothe herself back to sleep," Noah  
fills in.

"That's what we had to do with you guys, and it worked out well.  
We never had a problem getting you to sleep in your own beds. But the  
whole process is quite difficult. As a parent you instinctly want to  
comfort your baby. But every time we wanted to give in wed distract  
ourselves- do some work, clean the house, watch a movie, whatever it  
took. I think youre doing the right thing." Donna nods her approval,  
glad the kids are taking the suggestion she and Josh had offered them.

"Well CJ and I didn't do it that way and our kids turned out  
fine, too," Danny points out defensively. He feels the need to justify  
his soft spot for the children when they were small. He had pushed CJ  
to allow Abbey as a toddler to sleep in between them all the time,  
because he couldn't resist his little girl's pleading pout. By the  
time PJ was a toddler, the routine had grown old and Danny was tired  
of never having a night alone with his wife. But since Pat clung so  
tightly to his mother and CJ found it incredibly difficult to ignore  
her son's pleas for comfort, it took Danny until PJ was four years-old  
before he could finally convince CJ to teach the child to sleep in his  
bed most nights.

Josh takes a quick swig of his beer. "Of course they did, Danny.  
I just remember that Donna and I had an easier go of it because we  
conditioned our kids from the time they were babies to sleep on their  
own. And it's not like we were heartless about it. We'd always tuck  
the kids and when they'd have a nightmare we'd snuggle them til they  
fell asleep. And of course when they were sick they'd crawl in with  
us. But they didn't expect that every night."

"Yeah, and remember how much you complained when Pat was a  
toddler and refused to sleep in his own bed? Honey, it would have  
been much easier if she just forced ourselves to teach the children  
better sleeping patterns." CJ pours another glass of wine for herself.

"I guess. But it's not like we spoiled them too much," Danny adds  
bitterly. He feels like everyone is ganging up on him because he  
couldn't tell his children no'.

"Abbey, I think in the long run you just need to do what you  
think is best for your daughter," Donna states, but notices right  
after that she's talking to the vacant chair at the table where Abbey  
was seated a minute ago.

CJ lets out a low sigh, having a feeling she knows where he  
daughter has escaped to. "I'll go see what's going on," CJ offers,  
setting her drink down and making her way out into the foyer and up  
the staircase.

She spots Abbey sitting on the floor outside her bedroom, her  
back pressed close to the closed door. Tears run uninhibited in  
tracks down Abbey's cheeks and she picks fretfully at the hem of her  
sweatshirt.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" CJ inquires, sliding down the wall to  
take a seat next to her daughter. She already knows what's got Abbey  
so upset.

"I can't do this, Mom," Abbey cries between sobs. "I'm physically  
and mentally exhausted and I feel like I'm being stretched in a  
million directions. I thought having a baby would be easier. Every  
ounce of energy I have goes toward feeding her and changing her and  
trying desperately in vain to get her to sleep. I don't think I'm cut  
out for this. Noah and I are supposed to start school in like ten  
weeks and I don't think I can do it. I don't think I can do both. I  
can't even make a decision about how to get her to fall asleep. I'm so  
confused because you and Dad say one thing and Donna says another and  
the books and articles say different things and I…I'm just so  
conflicted. I can't stand to be here and listen to her cry like this. "

"Then don't," CJ tells her daughter definitively.

"What?" Abbey brings her eyes up to meet her mother's eyes.

CJ shakes her head. "Don't listen to her cry. Go in the room and  
pick your baby up because she's calling out for you. If that's what  
you heart is telling you to do, then do it. You and Noah have to  
decide what's best for you and Jordan. Don't listen to us if it goes  
against what you feel is right."

"Seriously?" Abbey is in disbelief that her mother is basically  
suggesting that she ignore all the advice they've been getting.

CJ rubs her daughter's arm in comfort, wanting to say or do  
something that would make her daughter relax. "I disagreed with your  
nana and even Grandma Abbey when they gave advice that I didn't agree  
with. I'm not saying that experienced parents don't have good lessons,  
but not even your father and I have all the answers for you. Jordan is  
your child, not ours."

"So I should do what feels right? What my gut is saying?" Abbey  
feels the need to clarify as she swipes at her stray tears.

"Yes. After all, I'll be going back to work next week so I won't  
be there every minute of the day to help." CJ's sabbatical has almost  
ended and it's time for her to return to work. She has mixed feelings  
about this, part of her wanting nothing more to stay home and help  
Abbey and Noah care for her granddaughter. On the other hand, it may  
help the kids' confidence to successfully watch their daughter every  
day by themselves. Furthermore, she is looking forward to getting back  
to a normal work routine and conversing more with adults than babies.  
So far, she, Danny, Josh and Donna have always been there twenty-four  
hours a day to aid their children.

"Yeah, are you sure you can't stay home a few more weeks? We're  
still learning." Abbey is terrified about her mother returning to work  
on Monday, worried some crisis will arise that she and Noah, with only  
eight weeks of parenting experience, are ill-equipped to deal with.

CJ grins and chuckles. "Honey, you're never gonna stop learning  
how to be parent, and it's the hardest job in the world. I'm learning  
to this very day. But I'm only a half an hour away if you need  
anything while I'm at work. You can call any time. But I think you  
and Noah need to do this on your own so you start to feel a little  
more confident and assured."

Abbey grimaces. "Is it okay if I'm still scared a bit? Is it  
normal that I'm not totally in love with my crying, screaming, pooping  
baby?"

CJ smiles again and draws Abbey into her arms. " For the first  
three months, I pretty much loathed you." While the statement is  
extremely exaggerated (CJ had experienced unconditional feelings of  
love for her children since the instant they were conceived), CJ has  
no qualms about admitting that the first few months with a new baby  
can be atrocious.

Laughing lightly, Abbey sniffles and wipes her nose. "Okay, good."

CJ pushes a loose curl off Abbeys forehead and dries her tear  
tracks with a thumb. "Why don't you go in there and rock your baby to  
sleep?"

With a small smile, Abbey nods, finally feeling like she is doing  
the right thing.

"I'm not ready to let her cry herself to sleep," Abbey explains  
immediately when Noah ducks into their bedroom and sees her cradling  
the dozing baby in her arms.

Right away, Noah understands Abbey has made a decision and is  
comfortable with her choice. He doesn't want to contradict her  
instincts, so he nods in agreement. He places both hands on either of  
her forearms. " Okay. Honey, I didn't mean to suggest that we should  
do something to our daughter that you're not comfortable with. The  
only reason I wanted to let her cry it out was because my parents and  
the books said it was the right thing, and I'm so God damned tired  
that I can't handle any more at the end of the day. I had no idea a  
baby would be this hard. You know that I love Jordan with every fibre  
of my being and want to spend my entire life loving and raising her  
properly. I want to protect her and nurture her and help her become as  
wonderful a woman as you. But, God, as much as I hate to admit this  
because I love her unconditionally, there are just times when I really  
don't like her."

Abbey chuckles lightly, careful not to disrupt the baby she had  
worked so hard to get to sleep. "I feel the exact same way."

Noah grins for the first time in what seems like days. "Good, so  
I'm not completely insane."

Abbey lowers Jordan into the crib cautiously. "My mom said it's  
normal. She and Dad, even your perfect mother, felt that way when we  
were newborns."

Noah draws his wife into his arms and releases a massive sigh of  
relief. " We're gonna be okay."

"We're gonna get good at new things," Abbey adds, touting her  
dad's personal mantra to her and CJ.

"I think we already are," Noah sighs, closing his eyes.


End file.
